Itsy Bitsy Spider
by pomegranate-stars
Summary: The Itsy Bitsy spider went up the water spout. Down came the rain and washed the spider out... Much Huddy. RR. Rated T.
1. Chapter 1

**Ok. We've all read them. The tragic fics where a regular member of the team gets sick and the others must diagnose him/her. Admit it. You so have. Well...I've written a Huddy one. I really really hope you like this one. I worked hard to get it exactly the way I want it and to keep everyone in character at the same time, so please enjoy, **_**The Itsy Bitsy Spider.**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own House.**_

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**_**Chapter One:**

"House! When I say no, I mean no!"

"No, you don't." House stumped after Cuddy, angry annoyance written all over his face as his brain worked furiously to try and figure out how he could get Cuddy to let him do what he wanted. "Cuddy, I need to do this procedure. If not, this guy's gonna die! Do you want his blood on your hands?"

Cuddy whirled around. "On my hands? You're the one who pumped him full of unregulated drugs! You think his blood will be on _my _hands? Oh, no, that procedure is still untested, House. There is no way I will let you do it!"

House growled. By now, the arguing pair was attracting a small audience of interested viewers. It was a long running bet among the hospital staff as to how long it would take before House gave Cuddy a heart attack…or they got married.

"You just don't care, do you? Why are you a doctor if you don't care whether your patients live or die? My god, woman, you're such an uncaring bitch!" House shouted, going straight for the jugular.

Everything froze. The audience looked from Cuddy's pale face to House, who seemed to suddenly sense he'd gone too far. He raised an eyebrow.

Cuddy's breath left her in a rush. "All right, House. Fine." She murmured quietly. Cuddy spun on her heel and walked quickly the other way down the hall. She couldn't let House see how much his words had hurt her. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

The anger had evaporated from House's face, replaced instead by puzzlement. Did he just win that argument? That wasn't right…the way it went was Cuddy said no, they fought, and he did it anyway. He had lost his temper and said the words to hurt. He'd known they were going to sting, known exactly what buttons to press. Maybe cutting straight to the heart of her guilt was the wrong move. The unfamiliar feeling of guilt surged through his chest and tightened around his heart. House sighed grumpily and stumped off after her.

Cuddy was currently talking to a nurse that had ambushed her as she turned the corner. "So, you need me to sign this?"

"Yes please, Dr. Cuddy."

Cuddy signed her name and glanced up to see House coming around the corner, clearly on a mission. There was no way she could face him right now. Cuddy turned and bolted the other way. House stopped, looking after her.

"Fine." He grouched. He turned the other way, popped a Vicodin and stalked down to his office.

Cuddy's day went relatively well. After avoiding House, she went to get a chicken sandwich for lunch and was sitting in her office eating it when there was a knock on her door. She put down her sandwich and called, "Come in!" She knew it wasn't House. House didn't knock.

It was a nurse. "Um, excuse me, Dr. Cuddy, but I need to go get more bandages for clinic. But the ones I need are in the storage room in the basement and I don't know where it is and no one else will take me. Could you…?"

Cuddy wiped her mouth. "Sure." She got up and led the nurse, whose name was Melanie, down the hall and to the elevator. They arrived at the bottom floor and Cuddy led Melanie to a room at the back of the hallway. It was a dark cramped little hall, and an even darker room. Cuddy moved to the back wall where the large reserves of bandages were kept.

"What kind did you say you needed?" Cuddy reached up to the very top shelf.

"Uh, just some white gauze bandages, but the kind without the sticky stuff."

"Ok…Ahh!"

Melanie jumped. "Oh my god, what?"

Cuddy swept a black spider off her shoulder. "Blasted spiders." She threw the wad of bandages to Melanie. "Here you go."

"Thank you, Dr. Cuddy."

The two rode the elevator upstairs and parted company. After a moment, Cuddy decided to go back to her office and see if she could finish some of the paperwork before the end of the day. She was sitting in her office, doing just that, when there was another knock on her door. It was Foreman.

"Hey, Dr. Cuddy, I just wanted to ask…Dr. Cuddy? Hey, you look really flushed. Are you ok?"

Cuddy coughed for a long moment before answering. "Yeah, I'm ok." She scratched her neck. She stood up, as if to prove she was ok. It was the wrong decision. She took a few wobbly steps and the world swam. Cuddy put her hand to her head. "M-Maybe not." She said weakly. And with that she pitched forward and the world went black.

* * *

Foreman watched Cuddy push herself to her feet with growing concern. She certainly didn't look fine. Cuddy stumbled forward gripping the edge of her desk. "M-Maybe not." She said weakly. Her eyes rolled into her head and Cuddy crumpled to the ground.

Foreman flung himself forward, catching Cuddy before she hit the floor. "Holy…Nurse! Hey!" He called out the door. "I need someone in here, stat!"

A couple minutes later, Dr. Cuddy was loaded onto a stretcher and being rushed down the hallway.

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Chink. The pop clattered from the vending machine. Wilson sighed. "House, that's another dollar you owe me." House balanced himself on his good leg and cracked open the Dr. Pepper.

"Lucky for me, you're my friend and don't expect me to ever pay you back." He took a gulp of pop. Suddenly, a stretcher came rolling around the corner and a huge group of nurses, along with Foreman rushed past.

Wilson's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Hey, House…didn't that patient kind of look like Cuddy?"

House frowned. "There's no way." The two took off down the hall, House traveling as fast as his leg could carry him.

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**Thanks for reading!  
**

**Love**

**Allie  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter Two... Thank you for all the kind reviews so far. :)**

**Disclaimer: Still don't own.**

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Chapter Two:  
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Foreman, along with Cameron and Chase, who happened to be having lunch together in the cafeteria and close enough by to notice the stretcher rocketing past with Cuddy on it, along with a few nurses were currently scrabbling about like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to save their Dean of Medicine's life. This wasn't happening. There was no way this could be happening. "Her blood pressure's dropping like a rock!" cried Cameron, glancing at the monitor.

"Her throat's all swelled up, look!" Chase said, pointing.

"She's going into Anaphylactic Shock!" Foreman looked wildly about for a syringe and a nurse handed him one.

"Give her a dose of Epinephrine!" Another nurse threw Cameron the drugs and she in turn handed them to Foreman.

Cuddy awoke suddenly and gasped, trying to suck in air. "Can't…breathe!" She choked, drawing in rasping breaths and clawing at her throat. Chase grabbed an oxygen mask and placed it over his Dean of Medicine's face, grabbing her arm and holding it down.

Foreman, the filled syringe in hand, flipped over Cuddy's other arm and injected her with a dose of the medicine that was supposed to counteract the anaphylactic shock. Cuddy began coughing and hacking horribly, sucking in deep breaths from the oxygen mask. Cameron placed her fingers on Cuddy's throat.

"The swelling's gone down some." She said, relieved. Wilson came rushing into the little room.

"What's happening?" he asked, eyes landing on Cuddy. "Why is…Oh my god… " he seemed at a loss for words.

Foreman explained what had happened. Wilson put a hand over his mouth. "Oh my god." He said again, weakly. There was silence for a moment. All of a sudden, Cuddy's body jerked, like an old car giving one final putter on its last fumes of gas, her head slumped forward onto her ample chest and the heart machine behind Chase's head flatlined.

"Ah!" Cameron bent over Cuddy. "She's going into cardiac arrest!"

"Shit!" Foreman swore loudly.

"What the hell is going on in here?" House stood framed in the doorway, face thunderous, the very picture of the devil himself. "Get the hell out of my way!" He shoved through the group of frightened nurses and grabbed the defibrillator paddles. He rubbed them together, looking like a mad scientist. "Clear." He snapped. He placed them on Cuddy's chest and shocked her. Cuddy's body jerked, like a demon puppet. House shocked her again. He swore loudly and did it again. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the machine began beeping again as Cuddy's heart started back up. House put down the paddles and leaned on the bedside table, breathing harshly, hand on his bad thigh. Cameron realized that he must have practically run to get here. He suddenly looked up at the nurses. "What the hell are you still doing here?" he snapped. The nurses scattered like a flock of frightened birds. House popped open his medicine bottle and gulped down a few Vicodin.

House turned on Chase, Cameron and Foreman. "Who the hell gave Cuddy Epinephrine? She's fucking allergic."

The three doctors quailed under House's glare. "Uh…" A series of emotions flickered over House's face. Anger, annoyance, condescension, and… Wilson raised an eyebrow. Fear?

House rolled his eyes. "Never mind. What happened?"

Foreman told him.

House frowned and looked down at Cuddy. "Just like that?"

"What do you think's wrong with her?" Cameron sounded a little scared. Truth be told, they all were. This was Lisa Cuddy. She was all powerful, all mighty. Her strength was a constant. To see her broken like this was…mind-blowing.

"I don't know." House said sarcastically. "Normal people don't just collapse in their offices and somehow I doubt that she was that happy to see Foreman." He looked at Foreman. "Sorry, Foreman. I know you had your hopes up." He suddenly seemed to realize who Cameron and Chase were. "What the hell are you two doing here, anyway?"

Foreman stepped forward. "They were having lunch in the cafeteria, noticed the problem and decided to help. Accept it and move on."

House looked at them for about three seconds and then spun on Wilson. "Wilson, grab one of those nurses and make sure someone watches Cuddy at all times. I don't want her left alone. Ever." House twirled and stalked from the room, whipping out his pager. Cameron, Chase and Foreman looked at each other and followed House. Wilson looked down at Cuddy. He brushed a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"Don't worry, Cuddy. House will figure out what happened."

House tapped his foot impatiently. Where the hell was his team? Thirteen, Kutner and Taub walked around the corner, chatting amiably together. "There you idiots are!" House jerked his head inside the room. "Get in there."

He made his way to the front of the room and grabbed a marker. He glanced over his shoulder. Taub, Thirteen and Kutner were standing in the doorway eyeing Chase and Cameron suspiciously. House frowned. "New team, old team. Old team, new team." He looked at his new team. "Don't feel threatened." He looked at the old team. "Don't feel old. I need everyone at top form for this one." House looked briefly at Cameron and Chase. "Thanks, by the way for helping me out with this one." He busied himself with the white board. Foreman raised his eyebrows. Was that…actual sincerity from Dr. House? It was shot down when the next words out of House's mouth were, "Don't think I won't tell Cuddy you've been shirking your duties though."

"I think under the circumstances she'll forgive us." Chase said dryly.

The new ducklings looked at each other and found places around the table. Taub found a spot next to Chase and Kutner and Thirteen ended up squashed together on the other side of Cameron. House wrote anaphylactic shock at the top of the board in huge letters. Beneath that he wrote the words dizzy and fainting. He spun on his teams. "What can cause anaphylactic shock? Thirteen?"

"Uh, it's a full-body allergic reaction. Who's the patient?"

"No." House rolled his eyes, ignoring her question. "Well, yes, but from what? Usually?"

"Insect bites." Kutner said quickly, from Thirteen's other side, cutting off Chase, who glared at him.

House nodded, spinning his cane. "Right. What is Cuddy allergic to? We need a history."

"Dr. Cuddy is our patient?" Taub asked incredulously.

House ignored him.

"Oh!" Cameron looked up at House. "I…know where she keeps it. Her history, I mean. I helped her update her files last week and I found it." Suddenly she looked confused. "Hey, House, how did you know Dr. Cuddy was allergic to Epinephrine?"

House dropped his cane. "Is this pertinent, Dr. Cameron?" His eyebrow twitched dangerously.

Cameron shrank back. "No."

House picked up his cane. "Cameron. You and Thirteen go and get that list. Taub, Kutner? You two go and begin testing for toxins in Dr. Cuddy's system. Foreman and Chase? I need you two to retrace Cuddy's day. Figure out where she went when." They watched him hesitantly, waiting for more instructions. House glared. "Go!"

His teams stood up and left the room, each to his own various task. House slumped down and put his head in his hands the moment they were gone. He couldn't get that damn woman's face out of his mind. Images of her were flashing through his brain. Smiling, smirking, annoyed, angry, laughing, and then this afternoon after their fight…hurt. Gregory House knew in that instant, that he couldn't…wouldn't…let Cuddy die. He had to figure out what was wrong with her. And he would. It was his freaking job, after all.

House got up, popped a Vicodin, and picked up his cane. He was going to visit Cuddy.

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**Thank you for reading! :)**

**Love**

**Allie  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three... Thank you for continued reading! I love you guys. :)**

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****Chapter Three**

When he got to her room, Cuddy was awake. She was flushed and didn't look very happy, which was to be expected, given the circumstances. Wilson was sitting in a chair by her bedside, legs and arms crossed. Both looked up when House entered. Wilson smiled. A variety of emotions flitted over Cuddy's pretty features, as though she was trying to figure out how to feel about House right now. She settled on content and gave House a tiny smile.

"Ah, so Sleeping Beauty awakes." House walked over to the other side of the bed. "What, did you kiss the frog prince? I told Wilson not to wear green."

Cuddy looked up at him, shifting position on the bed restlessly. "Wilson told me what you did, House. Thanks for, you know, saving my life."

To Wilson's surprise, House dropped his gaze, examining his cane with interest. "It's my job." He muttered.

Cuddy's face broke. "Ah…" She grabbed her stomach. Wilson and House were by her side in an instant.

"What happened?"

"What's the matter?"

Cuddy was sweating and gripping her stomach, her face a mask of pain. "It's my stomach again…" She wheezed. House placed his hand on Cuddy's lower abdomen and pressed gently.

"Here?"

Cuddy hissed in a breath. "Ow."

House reached up and put his hand on Cuddy's forehead with more gentleness than Wilson had seen in his friend for a long time.

"Damn. You've got a fever." House spun around abruptly. "Where the hell is that nurse?" A nurse came darting in almost instantly.

"Yes, Dr. House?"

House glowered at her. "Dr. Cuddy has a fever. Why the hell isn't someone in here watching her?"

The nurse paled. "I, um, assumed that s-since Dr. Wilson was in here, that…"

"Here's a hint. Don't assume anything. It makes an 'ass' out of 'u' and 'me'." The biting sarcasm aside, House abruptly turned back to Cuddy. "Look, Cuddles, I need you to tell me your symptoms, or I can't do anything. It's kind of how diagnostics works."

Cuddy squinted up at him, teeth gritted, breathing harshly. "Don't…call…me…Cuddles."

"They did an ultrasound on her." Wilson told House. "On account of her stomach pain. It came up negative for any tumors. It's not cancer."

"Um, Dr. Wilson?" A nurse hesitantly poked her head into the room. "You have a patient up in your office. She's been there almost ten minutes, said something about a malignant brain tumor?"

"Oh shoot!" Wilson jumped up and looked down at Cuddy, who waved at him to go. "I'll be back later."

"It's not like I'm going anywhere. Go do what I pay you for."

He left the room reluctantly, leaving House and Cuddy alone. House tapped the side of her bed with his cane. "Cuddles? Your symptoms?"

Cuddy frowned. "Uh, obviously fever, um…my stomach is killing me, my shoulder muscles keep spasming, and I feel nauseous…" Cuddy's face paled. She pushed herself up, leaned over the side of the bed away from House, and threw up. "Oh…" She moaned. House's hand lifted of its own accord and he found himself rubbing her back, moving his hand in slow, relaxing circles. Cuddy jerked in surprise at the unexpected contact and House's hand snapped back to his side. He glared at her, daring her to say something. "Very nauseous." was all she choked out.

"All right." House twirled his cane expertly. The nurse shifted from foot to foot.

"Uh, Dr. House? I kind of need you to leave. We have to change Dr. Cuddy's gown and you're, um…" The nurse's voice trailed off.

House's head snapped over to the nurse, eyes narrowed. "I'm what?"

"A guy." The nurse said, hands on hips.

"Cuddy doesn't mind if I stay, right Cuddles?"

"Get out of here, House."

House grinned half heartedly, not really wanting to leave his boss alone. "All right then." He made his way across the room. "See you later, Cuddles."

"Greg?"

House paused, the shock of his first name resounding through him, and looked back at the pathetic-looking figure on the bed. "Yes, Lisa?" he quietly mimicked her use of his first name. It rolled off his tongue and he found himself repeating it in his head over and over. _Lisa Lisa Lisa…_

Cuddy gazed at him, fire in her eyes. "Figure out what's wrong with me."

House twisted his lips, a hollow laugh escaping. "How the hell else do you think I'd spend my day? Clinic duty?"

Cuddy laughed, then winced, holding her stomach as House left the room.

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"Hey, Dr. Cameron?"

Cameron looked up. She and Thirteen were in Dr. Cuddy' office, looking through her filing cabinets. After failing to find the allergy list that Cameron had insisted "should be right there", she and Thirteen had taken to simply rummaging around the cabinets, hoping to come across it.

"Uh…" Thirteen frowned. "Did you notice anything…different about Dr. House with this case? Like…I don't know, he seems…different."

Cameron had noticed it. "Yeah. I get what you mean." Her eyes widened suddenly. "You don't think…"

A slow smile slid across Thirteen's face. "That's exactly what I think."

Cameron clapped a hand over her mouth. "No way. There is no way."

Thirteen shrugged. "It was only a suggestion."

"No!" Cameron shook her head violently, almost angrily. "It would never happen.

Thirteen thought for a moment. "Wanna bet?"

A devious smirk spread over Cameron's face. "Sure." The two girls clapped hands.

Cameron grinned to herself and dug in another file. She was beginning to like Thirteen. "Hello…what's this?" She pulled out a piece of paper. "Bingo." Thirteen leaned over her shoulder and whistled.

"Holy crap, look at all the stuff Dr. Cuddy is allergic to!"

"And look." Cameron prodded the list. "Epinephrine. House was right."

Thirteen smirked. "Point for me!"

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**Reviews appreciated. :D**

**Love**

**Allie  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Please enjoy capitulo quatro of **_**Itsy**_ _**Bitsy Spider**_**. Oh, and in honor of Huddy kiss, please enjoy the fluff in this chappie! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own House.**

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Chapter Four:  
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House spun his cane. He sat in his swivel chair staring up at the ceiling, thoughts of anaphylactic shock and muscle spasms racing through his brain. And Cuddy…always Cuddy. _Lisa…_

"House?"

House twisted his chair around. Taub and Kutner stood in the doorway. Kutner stepped forward and dropped a file folder on House's desk. "Uh, the tox screen came up negative for drugs."

"I could have told you that. Cuddy doesn't do drugs." House briefly glanced through the file. "Too damn conscientious. All right, begin tests for…" Beep beep beep! All three pagers went off at once. House glanced at his and his eyes widened. "Shit!"

The three doctors got to Cuddy's room to find Cameron and Thirteen standing over her bed. Cameron turned to House.

"Her blood pressure spiked through the roof, so we started her on Nifedipine."

Thirteen held up a piece of paper. "It wasn't on her allergy list."

House took the list of allergies and moved to closer to Cuddy's bedside. He studied her, chewing his bottom lip in a way some people might call anxious. But, Greg House didn't get anxious. Cuddy's eyes were closed. Her dark hair was plastered to her forehead with sweat and she was breathing harshly. Her eyes snapped open and she looked wildly around the room, unfocused eyes glazed in a mask of unrecognition.

Thirteen was examining Cuddy's file. "This says she became delirious, not knowing where she was or who she was talking to. Probably due to the fever."

House didn't take his eyes off her face. "All right. Taub, Kutner, you two go track down Chase and Foreman. Find out what the hell is taking so long. Thirteen, Cameron, I need you to come with me." House turned to go. Cuddy's hand suddenly snapped out and she grabbed House's hand.

"H-House…" House froze, head slowly moving, eyes resting on Cuddy's hand clasped around his. "Don't…leave…me…alone." Cuddy's voice was barely more than a whisper. Slowly, ever so slowly, House's hand closed around Cuddy's. He gripped her hand tightly, his thumb making gentle circles on her knuckles. Cuddy's face settled into a picture of contentment.

Thirteen was trying as hard as she could not to smile. Cameron's lips twitched until she remembered that she was currently on the losing side of the bet. Thirteen raised her eyebrows and Cameron scowled at her.

House suddenly seemed to remember that they were in the room and, deftly removing his hand from Cuddy's, he said shortly, "I'll get a nurse to come sit in here." Cuddy's eyes snapped open as he swept quickly from the room without a backward glance.

"C-Cameron!" She coughed.

Cameron ran to her. "What?"

"Nurse…" Cuddy motioned wildly. "Tell…House…nurse…name…Melanie." Cuddy slumped back into the pillows. "Please."

Cameron nodded, smoothing back her superior's hair from her sticky forehead. "Ok, Dr. Cuddy. Go to sleep now." She murmured soothingly.

Cameron turned back to Thirteen. "Do you know a Nurse Melanie?"

Thirteen shook her head. "I'm new…remember?"

"You're not that new."

"Hey? Are you two coming or what?" House's annoyed voice floated down the hall. The two doctors exchanged a look and hurried after House.

"A nurse named Melanie? Why?" House tapped his cane on the floor restlessly. Cameron shrugged.

"I don't know. When you said nurse and then left, it seemed to trigger something for Dr. Cuddy and she told me to tell you Nurse Melanie."

"Maybe we should go back and ask Dr. Cuddy?" Thirteen asked innocently.

"No!" House practically shouted. "That…won't be necessary." He said, a little more subdued. "We shouldn't wake her unless absolutely necessary."

"House!" Foreman, Chase, Taub and Kutner appeared behind them.

"We tracked Cuddy's day until after your fight, right before lunch." said the Australian.

"But," his partner added. "We can't figure out where she went after that. The closest we got was that she went off with some nurse."

Thirteen and Cameron looked at each other. "Nurse Melanie!" They chorused.

Chase looked surprised. "Yeah, how did you know?"

House twisted his cane between both hands. "All right. Everything else is on hold until we find this nurse. Or rather, until you find this nurse. I will be in my office, asleep." House turned and limped away.

Thirteen spun on Cameron. "Come on! Admit I'm right!"

Cameron shook her head. "I won't! You're not right!"

"Right about what?" Chase looked curiously from girl to girl.

Cameron rolled her eyes. "Thirteen thinks House likes Cuddy, and we're betting."

Chase pondered it for a moment. "Could happen."

Cameron's mouth fell open. "You're siding with _her_?"

Chase held up his hands defensively. "Uh, kind of. I guess…Yeah. Sorry." Cameron glared at him.

Taub snorted. "I think you're both wrong. There's no way."

Cameron smiled at him. Foreman shook his head.

"I'm actually on Chase and Thirteen's side. In a sick, twisted way…it makes sense."

Kutner laughed. "I don't think so, Foreman."

Thirteen waggled her eyebrows at him. "So…you guys wanna up the ante?"

Cameron snorted. "Bring…it…on."

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**Reviews? :)**

**Love**

**Allie  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm back! Enjoy the next chapter of **_**Itsy Bitsy Spider!**_** :) **

**Disclaimer.**

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Chapter Five:  
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"I feel so filthy." Taub scanned Cuddy's files delicately.

"Get over it." Foreman rifled through another file. "You work for House now. You need to get used to it."

"Hey, did you guys know Cuddy went to the Bahamas last year?" Chase threw another file into the cabinet. "Useless."

"Where did House say Cuddy kept the employee records?" Kutner straightened up from where he was scanning the files on the bottom shelf, holding his back.

"The hard copies are in the record room in the basement." Cameron said. "We're looking for a full hospital employee list.

"Shouldn't there be one on her computer?" Thirteen motioned at the expensive piece of equipment on the desk. The six doctors looked at one another reluctantly. Whatever they might be doing, none of them was brave enough to rifle through Cuddy's computer files. Finally, Foreman swallowed.

"All right." The six gathered around the computer.

"Hey, guys." Chase picked up a framed photograph. "Look." Three people stood in the picture. Cuddy, House and Wilson. The three of them were standing in front of the hospital doors. Wilson was in the middle, arms around Cuddy and House's shoulders. He was grinning widely. Cuddy, on his one side, had a file tucked under one arm and was smiling confidently. On his other side, House had one eyebrow quirked at the camera and was resting his cane over one shoulder.

The six doctors stood and pondered the picture for a moment, thinking about their superiors. In that moment, they made the same silent vow House had made when he first saw Cuddy lying in that hospital bed—to save her life. Then, resolve renewed, Foreman set at Cuddy's computer. After a few moments, Foreman swore.

"I don't know her password."

Cameron frowned. "What could it be? It can't be her name, or birthday. Too obvious."

"Maybe House knows?" Kutner leaned on the desk. "It'd be like him to be able to hack into the hospital records."

"Someone call him." Chase said. Taub picked up Cuddy's phone and dialed House's office number, setting it to speaker.

It rang briefly, then House's voice split the silence. "What?"

"We don't know Cuddy's password." Foreman said.

House sighed exasperatedly. Over the phone, it sounded like a rush of static. "You can't figure it out?"

"No. Are we supposed to be able to?" Thirteen called from over by the file cabinets.

There was silence for a long moment. "Try sapphire." House said at last.

Foreman typed in sapphire. The computer dinged and the words "password accepted" flitted across the screen.

"Did it work?"

Foreman gaped at the computer. "How did you…"

"Good." Click! House hung up.

At the particular moment that his teams called him, Gregory House was back in his office, studying the white board on which he'd written Cuddy's symptoms in an almost ferocious manner. As though he could forget them. House was pretty sure that this case was going to be burned in his mind forever.

Someone knocked hesitantly on the doorframe. House twisted his chair to face Wilson.

"Why the long face? Did you meet someone with cancer?"

Wilson ignored him. "Any news on Cuddy?"

House threw his ball against the wall, hard. "Nope."

Wilson sighed. "I feel so…useless, House."

House quirked an eyebrow. "Why?"

Wilson sank onto a chair set in the corner of the room. "Look at you! I mean, you're doing all in your power to save Cuddy's life and all I can do is sit here and watch."

House spun his chair again. "Don't feel bad, Wilson. I'm not doing much."

Wilson laughed hollowly. "Please. It's obvious that you care more about Cuddy than you do any of your normal patients."

House frowned. "Liar."

Wilson felt a smile begin to tug at his lips. "House…you shocked her back to life. You usually let the nurses or your ducklings handle that. Hell, you usually don't care. Plus, you went to get her symptoms from her yourself, instead of making a nurse do it. Face it, House. You care and it shows."

"I do _not_ care. If Cuddy dies, I'll be out of a job. That's all."

"Right. Keep telling yourself that, House." Wilson suddenly laughed. "Who knows? Maybe Cameron will think she turned you into an actual caring human being. She'll want to adopt you."

House gagged. "Yikes."

At that moment, the ducklings appeared at House's doorway. Foreman held a piece of paper.

"There are six Melanies that work in the nursing department." He began.

"What? Not even a hello? No, hello, Dr. House, how are you?"

Foreman ignored him. "One is on vacation, two are here, but work all the way on the other side of the hospital, one is sick and one had the day off."

"Did you forget how to count? That's only five. Maybe we should send you back to preschool."

"That leaves Melanie Kosher as the top choice." Foreman dropped the paper on House's desk.

"All right." House tossed his ball into the air. "What are you waiting for? Go find her."

The ducklings looked at each other. House sighed. "Chase, Foreman, go ask in the lunch room. Taub, Kutner, check her nursing station, Cameron, Thirteen, go check the ladies' rooms."

The ducklings turned and went to their various tasks. Thirteen paused in the doorway. She held what looked like a framed picture in her hands. "Um, Dr. Wilson? Dr. Cuddy had this on her desk." She handed it to Wilson and left to join Cameron.

House looked at his friend's ashen face curiously. "What did she give you?" Wilson handed the photo to House without a word. House took it and his breath caught in his throat. His stomach flipped over. "Oh." He said weakly.

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**Thank you for all the people who have favorited this story! You make me happy!  
**

**Love**

**Allie  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm finally updating! I had a half day today, so...here I am! I hope you like this, and I really really hope that House isn't OOC. Anyway, Please enjoy this chapter! We're nearing the end, folks!**

**Disclaimer: Nope. I wish.**

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**Chapter Six:**

The six ducklings gathered together outside the clinic. On a normal day, Cuddy would probably be standing guard around the clinic, waiting for House to foolishly stray too near so she could snap him up and force him to go to work. It was depressing to think that she may never do this again.

"Did you find her?" Cameron asked Chase worriedly.

"Yep. Apparently Melanie Kosher had a morning shift and went home."

"What?" All six of them sighed as one.

"Now what?" Thirteen asked, glancing around at the little group.

"We're gonna have to go to her house." Foreman said authoritatively. He clapped his hands together. "Ok. Here's what we do. Taub, you and Chase go get a ladder from the closet by House's office. Thirteen and Kutner? You guys are going to go and get…"

"Foreman." Cameron interrupted. "Couldn't we just call her?"

Everyone stopped talking and looked at Cameron. "Yes, I suppose we could." Foreman said finally.

Thirteen grabbed the phone off of the nurse's desk and looked expectantly at Cameron.

Cameron looked at her warily. "What?"

"What's her phone number?"

Chase slapped himself in the head. "Man…"

* * *

He shouldn't. He couldn't. He didn't want to. _Aw, who the hell am I kidding, yes I do._ House held his breath and stepped into Cuddy's room. The beeping of the heart rate machine pounded into his eardrums as he took in the sorry sight that was his boss. Cuddy was lying in her bed, her hair mussed and sweaty. Her fingers were gripping the sheets so hard her knuckles were white, an obvious indicator of the pain she must be going through. As he watched, a tremor shook her whole body.

House swallowed and sat down hesitantly on the chair beside her bed that Wilson had recently vacated. "Cuddy?"

No response.

House looked right, then left. No one was watching. He slowly and tentatively stretched out his hand and placed it over Cuddy's. He watched her carefully, fully prepared to bolt at slightest sign of movement. Still no response. He sighed and rested his forehead on his cane.

"I-I'm sorry, Cuddy." _What the hell am I doing? _House thought, disgusted with himself. _She can't hear me!_

_Maybe that's why you're doing it now. _A voice said snidely in his head. It sounded suspiciously like Wilson, damn him.

House sighed. He still hadn't released her hand. "I…I just…I don't know anymore, Lisa. I…I've never been that guy. The happy successful guy you like. God knows I've tried." House glanced up at Cuddy. "I mean…I've tried so hard. And I failed. I failed at that just like everything else in my life." House dropped his head and closed his eyes, squeezing her hand tighter. "You have no idea how happy I was for you when I heard you got the Dean job, Lisa. I could have told you that." He found the words were coming easier now, tumbling from his lips one after the other like rain. "I could have said, 'Good job, Lisa. I….I'm proud of you.' But I didn't. Instead I've proceeded to make your life a living hell and…I don't know. I guess I'm…sorry. I don't want you to leave me. Please don't leave me here alone, Lisa."

Wilson stood in the doorway and stared, mouth open, shocked out of his mind, absolutely floored. He had had no idea that Cuddy's illness would provoke this reaction from House. It had been too much to hope for. He slowly backed up. He couldn't let House see him. That would ruin everything. A grin spread over his face and he skipped off down the hall, truly elated for the first time since Amber's death.

House sat staring at the floor, trying to memorize the pattern of the floor tiles, enjoying the feeling of Cuddy's hand in his and wondering why the hell he was when his highly trained ears picked up a slight blip on the heart monitor. His head snapped up and he leaned over Cuddy, who was breathing harshly.

"Cuddy? Lisa, what's wrong?"

His eyes zoned in on her left shoulder, which was twitching spastically. He leaned on his good leg and reached out his hand, pausing only a moment to appreciate the irony that he was finally undressing Lisa Cuddy. He slid her shirt down her shoulder and wrinkled his nose.

"Eew…You have got to see a dermatologist, Cuddles." Cuddy's shoulder was swollen, puss-filled and oozing body fluids. But something pretty close to joy filled House's heart for the first time in years. Joy, for finally, _finally, _he knew what was wrong with his boss. And he knew exactly how to fix it.

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**Almost done... Reviews appreciated. :D**

**Love**

**Allie  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**And we have reached it. The penultimate chapter. I just want to say thanks for sticking with me and reviewing this story. I really hope that you like the fluffy almost wrap-up of _Itsy Bitsy Spider. _:) We're almost done folks!  
**

**Disclaimer: I still don't own House.  
**

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Everyone's pagers went off at the same time. Kutner glanced at the screen of his. "Spider bite?"

Cameron could have smacked herself for missing it. "Of course."

Looks of relief were shared all around.

"Come on." Foreman said, herding everyone along like children. "Let's go fix our bosses' boss."

But by the time they got there, there was nothing left to do. Nurses were buzzing around busily attaching wires and handing syringes and Wilson was standing over Cuddy's bed. Cuddy was awake and smiling at Wilson wearily, who had a huge look of relief on his face.

Cuddy spotted the six doctors and waved them over. "Hey guys."

"You got bit by a spider?" Chase asked, stepping around a nurse.

Cuddy shrugged, then winced as her shoulder twinged. "I guess so. That was kind of stupid of me. I'm allergic. Hey, has anyone seen House?" The doctors exchanged pointed looks.

"No." Taub said carefully. "Not for a while."

Cuddy's face fell slightly. "Oh. Ok then."

* * *

Cuddy was released later that evening, shoulder swathed in bandages and a bottle of medicine to flush out the rest of the toxins. House knew this, of course. He had ordered it. He sat in his office, leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling when a knock sounded hesitantly at his door. He swiveled around and drank in the sight of Lisa Cuddy, standing framed in his doorway.

"Hi House."

House quirked an eyebrow. "Hello. How's your shoulder?"

"Fine." Cuddy made her way across the room as House swiveled back to his original position. "House?"

"What?" House sounded weary, as though he knew what was coming next.

"Did…" Cuddy suddenly felt very foolish. What on earth was she doing here? She clasped her hands together and stared at her knuckles. "Did you mean it…all that stuff you said?"

House felt himself pale. She had…heard?

"What stuff?" he asked, knowing it was futile.

Cuddy gave him that look. The look that said, oh-please-I-know-you-know-exactly-what-I'm-talking-about. Damn. "The stuff you said when you…held my hand by my bed."

House got to his feet. "I think you were delirious and all that medication made your girlish romance fantasies seem real." He pushed past her, hell-bent on escaping the awkwardness that was sure to come next.

"So you didn't mean it." Of course. Why should she have expected…

It was her voice that stopped House with his hand on the doorknob. The disappointment and hurt that layered her words stuck him to the core. He slowly turned and instantly wished he hadn't. The features on her face were struggling to arrange themselves into her usual composed mask, but were failing miserably. He could see the defeat and sadness on her face plain as day. He swallowed. It killed him to cause her that much pain.

"I lied." he mumbled. "Just now."

Cuddy's heart almost stopped. Had he said… "Wh-What?"

House twiddled his cane. "I meant it, alright? There." He turned back to the door and twisted the handle.

Cuddy was across the room before he had time to leave. She grabbed his arm. "House…"

House froze again. Escape was only a jerk of his shoulder and a short walk away. However…everything he'd ever wanted was a simple pivot. Happiness. The conundrum of his life. He didn't deserve to be happy. He didn't…

House slowly pivoted and looked down into Cuddy's suddenly nervous eyes. It gave him a small jolt of confidence knowing she was just as nervous as he.

"Um…" Cuddy clearly didn't have any idea how to go about this. House felt a small smile tug at his lips.

"Yes?" he asked in an agonizingly slow drawl. They were so close House could see an image of himself reflected in her irises. His heart sped up. Was this really happening? Was he really going to kiss Lisa Cuddy and hope that it actually went somewhere?

Cuddy looked up at her own face reflected back at her in House's crystal eyes. Was House going to…kiss her? No, this couldn't happen… She knew that. But then why was every fiber in her being aching for House to close the inches of air that separated their faces?

House swallowed hard and slowly slid his hands to her shoulders, letting his cane fall to the ground with a soft thud. He was going to do it. Dear god. He cupped Cuddy's chin in his hand and slowly, ever so slowly drew her face towards hers. Cuddy's lips parted ever so slightly and she felt his lips barely brush against hers. It was like a dam had broken. And the two doctors pressed their lips together as everything they'd tried to quash since college came flooding back.

Suddenly, House pulled away and looked at her. "Hey Cuddy?"

Cuddy looked up at him. What on earth could possibly be so important to make him stop kissing her? "What?"

"I'm glad you're not dead."

Cuddy smiled. "Me too, House. Me too."

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**And...we're done. Did you like it? It always makes me so sad when things are almost over. Please click on the review button and tell me your thoughts! Happy Thanksgiving!  
**

**xxAllTheWorldsAStagexx  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Well folks, we did it. The final chapter of _Itsy Bitsy Spider_ is now sitting in front of you, a short scroll down away. Once again, thank you for reading and reviewing. You guys are the best. Actually, to tell you a secret, the last chapter was going to be the last one. And it was, for a very short time. But then a review gave me an idea for an epilogue and after only twenty minutes, IBS was in-progress once more. Now, it's really over. I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I only manipulate them for my own desires. I don't own HOUSE.  
**

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Epilogue:

James Wilson liked to think himself a rather observant fellow. He considered it one of his best qualities, actually. Which is why what happened that day was such a shock to him.

It was an ordinary day for Wilson. Cuddy was better and back to her old self. House had hidden his keys that morning and he had found them underneath the upturned coffee pot in the employee's lounge. Yup, just an ordinary day. Until…

Wilson turned out of his office on the way to the clinic. He was going to ask Cameron a question about a clinic patient she had recently treated when he spotted Cuddy at the nurses' station. Maybe he would go and ask how she was doing. He changed his course and was on his way to do just that when he suddenly ground to a halt.

House had uncaringly thrown a case file at one of the nurses and was now leaning on the counter, spinning his cane, his entire attention focused on Cuddy. She said something to him and he snorted and turned to walk away.

The sounds of Cuddy's laugh reached Wilson's ears even over the hubbub of the clinic as she darted forward and grabbed House's arm in an attempt to stop him from leaving, an action which drew several startled glances from the nurses. She looked… happy. Truly happy.

House smirked down at her and the two began to walk. Crap, they were coming towards him. Wilson panicked for a moment before ducking into a nearby examination room. He slid the door almost shut and peeped out the crack.

"…I'm a cripple and you can't even hold me back. That's just pathetic."

"I was just going easy on you so you could feel good about yourself."

"Lisa, please. You and I both know that you were trying your very hardest, which is cute, but sad."

Wilson almost fainted. Lisa. House had called Cuddy _Lisa_. What had he missed? How had he missed it?

"Oh, shut up, Greg. Did you see the looks on those nurses' faces?"

"They looked like they had just been told how ugly they all were."

"Stop it, Greg, that's terrible."

The two doctor's voices faded off into the distance as they presumably rounded the corner. Wilson let his hands fall to his sides. "Oh my god." He said, a smile splitting over his face. "How did I miss that?"

"Excuse me…"

Wilson jumped and spun around, hand on his heart. A rather large man was sitting on the examination table watching him bemusedly. "Are you going to treat me or not?"

"Uh…" Wilson stammered. "No, sorry, your doctor will be here shortly." He backed out of the room apologetically…and right over a suspiciously placed cane. He fell flat on his back and glared up at House's innocent smile.

"What's up, Jimmy?"

"House." Wilson scrambled to his feet. "Are…are you and…Are you and Cuddy… _dating_?"

House shrugged. "What can I say? She just threw herself at me. Developed a hero's complex after I so heroically saved her life. She's bending over backwards to please me. Literally."

"I am not. James, don't believe him." Cuddy had come up behind him and, unbeknownst to House, been standing behind him for a majority of their conversation.

House grinned wickedly. "Maybe you should start then."

Cuddy whacked him playfully on the arm with a file. "Here. Clinic patient. Get to it. Can't have the others thinking I'm favoring you."

House sighed and grabbed the file. He scanned it. "Oh, goodie, another teen with an STD. Thanks ever so much."

Cuddy grinned at him. "I know those are your favorites." She turned and sauntered off. House stared after her for a split second and then returned his attention back to Wilson, who hadn't said a word out of shock the entire conversation.

"Well, see you Wilson. Got to go be a hero. You know, teenagers to diagnose, old people to rub cream on, cats in trees, that sort of thing." House stumped off towards the clinic.

Wilson stared after him. _Wow_. He thought. _I guess miracles do happen. Good for you, House. Good for you._

Fin.

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**And we're done. I feel...kind of empty now. :) Anyway, thank you all for sticking with me and please review and tell me your thoughts on the ending! Happy Thanksgiving!**

**xxAllTheWorldsAStagexx .... And all the men and women are merely players. :)  
**


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